Said Lance after overwhelming passage, “Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East. The intelligence and defense capabilities built by the United States should be shared with our trusted ally in the name of collective security. If we don’t stick up for Israel, who will?”

The bipartisan bill authorizes the 2016 U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding supported by Lance which increases in U.S. security assistance to Israel. The measure seeks to ensure the Jewish State has the resources to defend itself and develop and copy U.S capabilities for its own use.

Israel faces a range of growing threats – including Iran, the leading state sponsor of terrorism taking further aggression in the region. The legislation authorizes expanded U.S. weapons stockpiles in Israel and U.S.-Israel cooperation in other new technologies.